1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hand tools and more particularly is directed towards a tool for cutting carpet and vinyl floor coverings flush to the wall.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Carpet and vinyl floor covering cutters are well known in the prior art. In fact, there are many variations of such cutters in the prior art. A narrow category within the prior art is cutters specifically designed to trim floor coverings near a wall. However, there are still quite a number of cutters for just that purpose. None of these wall cutters are like the claimed invention, however, which has novel, unique and very useful features.
One example of a cutter used to cut floor coverings near a wall is in Codainne, U.S. Pat. No. 2,666,986, issued on Jan. 26, 1954, for Carpet Cutting Device. The device disclosed is a carpet cutter in which a top plate has a downwardly extending guide member abutting against a wall to guide the cutter in its cutting movement. The front end portion of the top plate is formed with an angular slot for receiving the upwardly extending turned portion of the carpet to be trimmed.
Another example is Brenner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,267, issued on Sep. 20, 1971, for Carpet Trimming Tool, which discloses a carpet trimmer with a flat base for riding on the nap or pile of a carpet. Mounted to the base plate are oppositely directed cutting blades. The oppositely directed cutting blades are disposed adjacent a guide member.
In Carlson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,341, issued on Jan. 27, 1976 for Carpet Cutting Tool, there is disclosed a carpet trimmer that has a body with a guide attached to it that extends in spaced relation to the forward edge of the body to engage a base board. The trimmer is moved in a direction parallel to the baseboard and parallel to the plane of the cutting blades, and cuts the floor covering a certain distance from the wall.
In Nguyen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,081, issued on Sep. 3, 1991, for Carpet Trimmer with a Recessed Guide, there is disclosed a carpet trimmer that includes an angularly disposed upper plate spaced from the bottom plate to form an angular recess facing an installed molding. The angular recess receives a projecting edge on the installed molding during the cutting of the carpet, which guides the Trimmer along the molding.
In Zanfini, U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,627, issued on Dec. 27, 1977, for Carpet Cutter, there is disclosed a carpet cutter having a base, a frame carrying downwardly diverging blades, and a handle.
In Matsushita, U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,936, issued on Jan. 11, 1977, for Carpet Cutter, there is disclosed a carpet cutter that is used to cut any excess edges of a carpet to the size of a room after it has been laid in the room. The carpet is cut at its bend toward the wall. There is one blade in the cutter that is slantly mounted for cutting the carpet near the wall.
Finally, in Crain, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,341, for Carpet Trimmer, there is disclosed a carpet trimmer with a base plate. Slots are formed in the base plate at right angles to the working edge of the base plate. Cutting blades are mounted over the base plate. A wall guide depends from a blade holder for the cutting blades in spaced relation to the working edge of the base plate to form a passageway for a carpet edge to be trimmed. The trimmer uses a stack of spacer members for adjusting the height of a blade in the carpet trimmer, which is noted as being well-known in the art.
The present invention can be distinguished from the prior art, and is novel, non-obvious, and useful in light of the prior art. First, the present invention works with all types of carpet, carpet backing and vinyl floor coverings to trim them flush to the wall. Second, it has a wider platform on the bottom, which stabilizes the entire tool for more true cuts along the walls. Third, the blades cut at an angle of 15 to 25 degrees to the base plate, which improves the cutting and requires less effort. In addition, the blades will last 2 to 3 times longer as a result of the angle. Fourth, the blades cross over each other. This allows the cutting edges of the blades to be closer to the center of the trimmer, which results in the trimmer being able to cut floor coverings more closely to the corners of the room. Therefore, less of the floor covering must be cut by hand with a knife to complete the corners. Fifth, the handle quickly adjusts to any angle, and can be used right or left handed. Sixth, the height adjustment for different piles of carpeting or different floor coverings is quick and easy. It does not require disassembly of the tool to adjust the cutting height. Seventh, it has multiple blade depth settings. Overall, the present invention is novel, non-obvious and useful.